Have you got Zoom Face?
Since the world went virtual, aestheticians have noticed a dramatic rise in the number of “tweakments” being booked. The culprit? Zoom Face. So as our real-life interactions start to increase, will our skewed perceptions of how we look ever return to normal? ›
What the f*ck am I doing? THOSE ARE THE WORDS REVERBERATING AROUND MY HEAD AS THE BLINDING SURGICAL LIGHT FLOATS ABOVE ME.
But it’s too late to change my mind – the needle has already pierced the skin on my upper cheekbone, and a cannula is now running slowly towards my under-eye. No, I haven’t been abducted by aliens – I’m having tear-trough fillers to fix the dark circles I’ve now been staring at for almost a year over Zoom (and Teams, and FaceTime…). Weeks later, once the bruising has subsided, I’m pleased with the results. But would I have gone through such a nerve-racking treatment pre-pandemic? Unlikely. And it isn’t the only face fix I’ve succumbed to in the short space of time between lockdowns. I’ve had Botox for my over-animated forehead, hydrating Profhilo injections and cosmetic acupuncture to get my glow back, Invisalign to straighten my teeth and HD Brows to perfect my arches. Even for a beauty editor, that’s a pretty extensive list – and I know exactly what’s inspired my “tweakment” spree.
Working from home has proved a revelation for many – no more stressful commutes, a better worklife balance, egg on toast for lunch (game-changer). But cosmetic doctors have noticed a sharp rise in the number of bookings since COVID-19 forced the world online – DrMediSpa and the Cadogan Clinic both tell me they’ve seen a 100% increase, in fact. “We’re far more comfortable looking at ourselves as still, non-animated images,” explains GP and cosmetic dermatology expert Dr Saleena Zimri.“Live chats have forced us to analyse the way we talk and pull facial expressions, highlighting every wrinkle, spot and saggy bit.” Dr Zimri has noticed a dramatic surge in bookings for tear-trough fillers, chin liposuction and neck and jowl tightening, citing poor lighting and the unflattering angles created by forward-facing cameras as the catalyst.
CAMERA-ON ANXIETY
Amelia,* a 29-year-old PR from London, echoes my Zoom-induced insecurities, blaming long clientfacing meetings during which the majority of the focus is on her.“It got to the point where I felt physically sick before a video conference,” she confides during our (camera-off) chat.“I was too busy checking my face in the mirror to actually prep for the meeting, and while my friends were stocking up on skincare and pampering products during lockdown, I was looking up the best concealers and the cost of Botox.” Amelia admits the problem got so bad she had to ask her manager to limit the number of internal meetings she was being asked to join, in order to balance out the client-facing ones. Luckily, they were understanding, and even rolled out a camera-off policy for anyone who felt more comfortable with it.“I felt bad even broaching the subject because I was hired for being a people person,” Amelia tells me. “But my anxiety levels have improved tenfold and my work is suffering less, so
I can’t regret it.” I’ve seen pictures of Amelia, and trust me, she has nothing to feel insecure about – so why do we always see the bad over the good when it comes to the way we look?
“From an evolutionary perspective, our brains are hardwired to look out for anything that could be a threat to our survival,” explains clinical
“I was too busy checking my face in the mirror to actually prepare for the meeting”
psychologist Dr Khodayar Shahriyarmolki, who specialises in the treatment of anxiety disorders such as BDD (body dysmorphic disorder) .“Being accepted as part of a group was so essential for the survival of early humans that it’s no wonder our minds are still checking in on how we measure up against the rest of society.” So we’re all negative Nellies because we’re stuck in a primeval-style survival mode? “There are predisposing factors that can make someone more vulnerable to developing a body-image difficulty,” adds Dr Shahriyarmolki, citing genetics (such as a family history of mental health problems), personality traits (like being highly perfectionist) and life experiences (a history of abuse or being bullied, for example).
I’m lucky enough to be at the milder end of this spectrum. Backto-back beauty treatments aside, the extra attention I’m paying to my appearance isn’t impacting my life in any way, and will no doubt ease as soon as the virtual interactions drop off. But when should someone seek professional help? “If these preoccupations persist and start to interfere with a person’s work or social life, then they should discuss professional help with their GP,” advises Dr Shahriyarmolki. “This may include a talking therapy, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).”
Since the pandemic kicked in, I’ve also spent a lot more time on social media. My doom-scrolling has, admittedly, got a little out of hand ever since Boris uttered those year-defining words, “stay at home” – and it doesn’t take a genius to work out that staring at the sun-dappled skin of an influencer followed by my own unfiltered face has all the makings of a perfect storm. Sure, plenty of Gen Z-ers might be happy dancing around on TikTok without make-up, but there’s still a corner of Instagram that remains heavily airbrushed, and a generation of millennials like Amelia who are feeling the pressure to look as though they’ve got their life together at a pivotal point in their career.“People with clinical body-image difficulties such as BDD tend to get into a pattern of spending hours on social media comparing themselves to other people,” says Dr Shahriyarmolki. “And what makes this so unhelpful is that they’re often comparing themselves to totally unreasonable images.”
It’s no wonder, then, that wartsand-all Zoom calls – laid out like a grid of prison mugshots – are beginning to take their toll on our psyches. Although I have just discovered the “touch up my appearance” feature in Zoom’s video settings, as well as the “mirror my video” tick-box, which flips your appearance to the arguably more flattering one you’re used to seeing